Helmet and face guard



L. A. HOLDER 3,170,164

HELMET AND FACE GUARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 2 av V 0 g \L o 4 A 7 x S l 6 k I s, m/L rllmlj C f ll 2 M 7 O m w 7 lllll.) 2 F Feb. 23, 1965 Filed March 22, 1962 B Y E 0 w R N 2 2 T E R E L T v 0 T m H A m 2 A I a M m M n u F m 4 O l- H.)

Feb. 23, 1965 L. A. HOLDER HELMET AND FACE GUARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1962 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. LORRAIN A. HOLDER United States Patent 3,178,164 HELMET AND FACE GUARD Lorrain A. Holder, 4150 Hough Ave., Cleveland 3, Glue Filed Mar. 22, 1962, Ser. No.181,737

4 Claims. (Ci. 2-9) The present invention pertains to the art of protective helmets, and more particularly to a protective helmet with a face guard extending across the front of the helmet to protect the face of a person wearing the helmet. w

The present invention is particularly applicable to a helmet of the type used for protecting the headand face of a football player and it will be discussed with particular reference thereto; however, itis to be appreciated that the present invention has much broader applications and may be used for protective'helmets used in various other sports. V

It has been known to provide football players with a protective helmet incorporating a metal or plastic face guard extending transversely across the front of the meansfor allowing biased, upward movement of the face guardwhen upward impact forces aredireeted against the face guard. 1

Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of a face guard mounted onto a protective helmet and having a spring means for allowing biased,

2 vision of a face guard mounted onto-'aprotective helmet helmet to protect the face of the player from blows in the frontal region of the helmet.

The use of the face guard has substantially eliminated facial injuries of football players; however, upwardgblows on the guard, which extends outwardly from the helmet,

creates a substantial turning moment in the helmet; Consequently, the helmet is thrust backwardly into the base of the skull with such a force that injury tothe'neck or occipital bone at the base of theskull often results. The possibility of serious neck and skull injury by use of the face guard seriously detracts from the facial protection oftheguard. j

In view of the possible serious injuries resulting from use of the face guard, there has been a recent movement to completely eliminate theguard from the protective football helmet. Accordingly, the excellent and frequently needed protection of the facial area would be sacrificed. to .prevent the remote possibility of injuries to the neck and base of the skull because these latter injuries have proven more serious and harmful to the health of the player.

To retain the face. guard and still protect the neck and base of the skull from injury caused by uplift forces on the outwardly extending face guard,'it is known to provide a protective, footballv helmet with padding and bumpers in the lower rear portion of the helmet so that the forces against the base of the'skull had to be transmitted through the padding or bumpers. To provide even nominal protection, the padding in the lower rear portion of the helmet caused the helmet to be bulky and uncomfortable; therefore, the padding did not prove to be satisfactory.

The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned difliculties and others by providing a protective helmet which will not exert a substantial force on the base of the skull on sudden upward blows against the face guard connected to the helmet.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided, in combination, a protective helmet having a front portion, a face guard attached onto the helmet and extending across the front portion, and means for allowing substantial upward movement of the face guard with respect to the helmet when force exceeding a predetermined value is applied in an upward direction against the face guard.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a face guard mounted onto a protective helmet to prevent injury to the wearer from upward impact forces against the face guard.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a face guard mounted onto a protective helmet and and having a means for allowing substantial, upward movement "of the face guard with respect to the helmet when a force exceeding a predetermined value is applie in an upward direction against the face guard.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description used to illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention as read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. lis a side elevational view illustrating the preferred embodimentof the present invention; a Y FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view illustrating in detail the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevational view similar to FIG; 1 showing the face'guard in an upward position;

FIG. S'is va partial cross sectional view taken along line 5 5 of FIG. 2; 1 a FIG. 6 is an exploded view illustratingthe preferred embodiment of the present invention; -''and I 1 FIGURE 7 is a somewhat schematic, partial view illustrating one appropriate adjusting means'for the present invention. Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same, FIG. 1 shows a protective helmet A of the general type used to protect the face and head of a football player and havinga crown 2, afront opening 10, a pair of downwardly depending lower portions or ear caps '12, only one of which is shown, and a hole 14 in each ear .cap 12. Extending across the front opening 10 is a face guard Bhaving' an upper barZlB and a lower bar 22 which are so formed as to straddle the ear caps 12. In accordance with the invention, the face guard B is joined onto the ear caps 12 by a device C which inwhen a force F, as shown in FIG. 4, which exceeds a predetermined value, is applied in an upward direction against the face guard.

The device C for mounting the face guard onto the helmet holds the face guard in a downward position until a high magnitude uplift force is applied against the face guard, at which time the device C allows substantial upward movement of the face guard B to prevent injurious forces from being transmitted to the neck and skull of the wearer. Forces below the predetermined value are absorbed by the helmet as if the face guard were rigidly attached thereto. a

The device C, best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, is positioned on each of the ear caps 12 and comprises a mount ing plate 28 rigidly secured onto the helmet by appropriate means such as bolts 29; means 30 for pivotally mounting the face guard B onto the mounting plate 28, and thus the helmet A; and abutment 32 adapted to limit the downward pivotal movement of the face guard B; and a biasing means for yieldably forcing the means 30 downwardly against the abutment 32 so that uplift forces greater than a predetermined value will move the means 30 away from the abutment 32.

Referring in more detail to the elements comprising the device C, the means 30 as shown in FIGS. 2, and 6, is provided with a pivot plate 40 having an aperture 42 and apertures 44, the latter apertures adapted to rigidly secure the bars 20, 22 onto plate 40. Extending laterally from the plate 40 are tab 46 and lug 48. To pivotally secure the plate 40, and thus the face guard B, onto the helmet A, there is provided a post 50 secured onto plate 28, a spacer 52, a washer 54, and a bolt, 56 adapted to be threadably received in post 50 as shown in FIG. 3. In this manner, the plate 40 is pivotally secured onto the helmet.

Fixedly secured onto the outer surface of plate 2 8 is the abutment 32 having stop tabs 60, 62 and a spring lug 64. The biasing means 34 may take a variety of structural embodiments; however, in the preferred embodiment, this means is a coil spring of predetermined elastic characteristics and adapted to be secured between lug 64 of the abutment 32 and lug 48 of the means 30. In some cases, the spring 34 or other biasing means may extend from the helmet to the face guard without actually being connected between the abutment 32 and pivot means 30. Spring 34 is pre-stressed to bias tab 46 and lug 48 against stop tab 60 and 62 until an uplift force P which exceeds the pre-stressed force of spring 34 is applied upwardly against face guard B. Means 66, shown in FIGURE 7, or other appropriate means may be provided for adjusting the pre-stress tension of coil spring 34 to vary the amount of uplift forces necessary to separate the means 30 from the abutment 32.

To conceal device C, an outer contoured cover or cap 70 is adapted to be secured onto helmet A by appropriate means such as bolts 72 shown in FIG. 1.

In operation, face guard B transmits to the helmet the force of any blows directed inwardly toward the face of the wearer; however, an upward blow on the face guard exceeding the value determined by the amount of pre-' stress on spring 34, is absorbed by the spring in upward movement of the face guard B. Consequently, high magnitude uplift forces against the face guard are not abruptly transmitted to the neck and skull base of the wearer.

The present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment thereof; however, it is to be appreciated that there is no intention of limiting the invention to the particular structural details forming this preferred embodiment. To the contrary, various structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a football helmet having a front opening, a bar-like face guard mounted onto said helmet and extending across said front opening, means at opposite ends of said face guard for mounting said face guard onto said helmet to have only pivotal movement with respect to said helmet, a first abutment means fixedly positioned onto said helmet, a second abutment means on said face guard for engaging said first abutment means to limit downward pivotal movement of said face guard beyond a predetermined position, and a spring means extending between said pivotable face guard and said helmet for holding said second abutment means against said first abutment means with a predetermined biasing force whereby upward forces on said face guard of a magnitude greater than said biasing force will pivot said'face guard upwardly with said second abutment means moving away from said first abutment means.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring means is a coil spring extending between said helmet and said pivotable face guard.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring means includes means for adjusting the predetermined biasing force between said first and second abutment means.

4. In combination, a football helmet having a front opening, a bar-like face guard mounted onto said helmet and extending across said front opening, means at opposite ends of said face guard for mounting said face guard onto said helmet to have only pivotal movement with respect to said helmet and about a fixed axis, a first abutment means fixedly positioned onto said helmet and spaced from said axis, a second abutment means on said faceguard and spaced from said axis for engaging said first abutment means to prevent downward pivotal movement of said face guard beyond a predetermined position, a coil spring spaced from said axis and extending between said face guard and said helmet to pivot said face guard downwardly with said first and second abutment means engaging each other, said coil spring being under tension to create a predetermined biasing force between said first and second abutment means whereby said face guard will be pivoted upwardly with respect to said helmet only when an upwardly directed force, exceeding said predetermined biasing force, is exerted onto said face guard.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,366,907 Dunand Feb. 1, 1921 2,353,043 Kraski et al July 4, 1944 2,396,239 Beck Mar. 12, 1946 2,686,912 Shipman Aug. 24, 1954 2,780,814 Radnofsky Feb. 12, 1957 2,860,343 Aileo Nov. 18, 1958 2,944,263 Rayburn et al July 12, 1960 2,954,564 Sowle Oct. 4, 1960 

1. IN COMBINATION, A FOOTBALL HALMET HAVING A FRONT OPENING, A BAR-LIKE FACE GUIARD MOUNTED ONTO SAID HALMET AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID FRONT OPENING, MEANS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FACE GUARD FOR MOUNTING SAID FACE GUARD ONTO SAID HELMET TO HAVE ONLY PIVOTAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID HELMET, A FIRST ABUTMENT MEANS FIXEDLY POSITIONED ONTO SAID HELMET, A FIRST ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID FACE GUARD FOR ENGAGING SAID FIRST ABUTMENT MEANS TO LIMIT DOWNWARD PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID FACE GUARD BEYOND A PREDETERMINED POSITION, AND A SPRING MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID PIVOTABLE FACE GUARD AND SAID HELMET FOR HOLDING SAID SECOND ABUTMENT MEANS AGAINST SAID FIRST ABUTMENT MEANS WITH A PREDETERMINED BIASING FORCE WHEREBY UPWARD FORCES ON SAID FACE GUARD OF A MAGNITUDE GREATER THAN SAID BIASING FORCE WILL PIVOT SAID FACE GUARD UPWARDLY WITH SAID SECOND ABUTMENT MEANS MOVING AWAY FROM SAID FIRST ABUTMENT MEANS. 